In certain applications, such as fiber optic gyroscopes, a broadband, high-power light source is preferred. With a high power source, the deleterious effects of shot noise are lessened. Another desirable quality of a light source is radiation hardness (or low radiation sensitivity). This is important in applications in space and hostile environments. An ultrahigh power source with a doped fiber of very short lengths, e.g., approximately 0.1 to 10 meters in length, offers higher output power, a broadband emission spectrum, and superior radiation hardness, as radiation-induced darkening of a fiber is proportional to the length of the fiber.